The Carolina Panthers chose Alabama All-American Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft on April 27 after a thorough evaluation of available quarterbacks, said Scott Fitterer, the NFL team’s general manager.

During an appearance on NBC Sports’ “ProFootball Talk” last week, Fitterer said the Panthers also considered Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis – candidates already publicly identified by the team – as well as taking a detailed look at Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker before choosing Young.

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For Frank Reich, one play in particular confirmed to the Carolina coach that Young was the quarterback to pick – and it didn’t occur during the quarterback’s Heisman Trophy season in 2021 or his final campaign with the Crimson Tide in 2022.

Reich told NBC Sports’ Peter King for his Monday “Football Morning in America” column that a mop-up play during Alabama’s 48-17 victory over Tennessee on Oct. 24, 2020, showed him something special about Young.

READ PETER KING’S ‘FOOTBALL MORNING IN AMERICA’

Playing for the second time in his college career, Young was on the field after Mac Jones had buzzed the Volunteers for 387 passing yards and Najee Harris had run for three touchdowns. Young completed a third-down pass to wide receiver John Metchie III for a 12-yard gain on the play that drew Reich’s interest.

It wasn’t the pass for a first down that proved insightful to Reich, but Young’s pre-snap change in the blocking assignments.

“Bryce right there called a five-man slide, which is an incredibly smart and incredibly risky call,” Reich told King. “If you’re going to call a five-man slide, you have to be 100 percent sure you can bring that (right) tackle over. Because if you bring him and that (left defensive) end comes, you’re in trouble. And just watch the play — how smooth the call is, how sure he is. He saw overload pressure to his left, he figured he wasn’t getting pressure to his right, he had the line all move left to compensate, and he even got the (running) back to cover a blitzer. Just look how easy he made it look.

“That play just confirmed everything we were thinking and already know. Just confirmed the level of football IQ he has that’s on par with Peyton (Manning), (Matt) Ryan, (Philip) Rivers, (Andrew) Luck. I’m telling you: There are quarterbacks in the NFL who haven’t done what he did right there, and he did it easily in his true freshman year in college. To have the confidence to make that call for Alabama in his second college game — unreal.”

Reich will start work with the Panthers’ five draft picks on Friday, when Carolina opens its rookie minicamp.

The Panthers also added Ole Miss wide receiver Jonathan Mingo in the second round, Oregon outside linebacker DJ Johnson in the third round, North Carolina State guard Chandler Zavala in the fourth round and Florida State safety Jammie Robinson in the fifth round.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.